If you have not been watching the HBO series Hard Knocks, then you may not have heard of Chris Hogan. If you have been following the show as it documents the training camp of the Miami Dolphins, then you know Hogan as the elusive wide receiver nicknamed 7/11 by his teammates due to his uncanny ability to always be open.
The show came to an end for Hogan after he became a casualty of Black Friday, the day all NFL teams are required to trim training camp rosters rosters down to 53 players. Along with 16 other NFL hopefuls, the Dolphins released Hogan, but the 6’2″ prospect did not stay on the outside looking in for very long. On Sunday it was announced he had signed on as one of the 8 men the Dolphins practice squad. For Hogan, it is better than nothing.
A collegiate stand out on the Penn State lacrosse team, Hogan transferred to Monmouth University as a 5th year senior, and joined the football school’s football program. He doubled as both wide receiver and safety for the Hawks, but decided to enter the NFL Draft as a wideout. Despite a good pro day, Hogan was not selected in the 2011 draft, and he began working out for teams as an undrafted free agent, eventually landing a spot on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.
An ankle injury led to him being cut by the 49ers, so he made his way to the East Coast, where he was again signed and released, this time by the New York Giants. As the season came to an end, Hogan made the Miami Dolphins practice squad, and was invited back to compete in this season’s training camp.
HBO cameras were also invited to camp and it did not take long for them to hone in on Hogan, making him an instant fan favorite. The cameras may have shifted in his direction simply because of all the hard work he was putting in, but more likely it was because of the attention he was getting from his teammates.
As training camp was picking up intensity, Hogan was continually shaking his guy and catching the ball, so when HBO aired Reggie Bush calling him 7/11, as in he is always open, the nickname stuck. Bush may not have been the originator of the complimentary moniker, but the name caught on so strong within the locker room that guys were even arguing over who came up with it first.
“Davone [Bess] said he came up with it,” Hogan told the newspaper. “[Ryan] Tannehill and [Pat] Devlin said they came up with it. I’m going to give credit to everyone. They started calling me that the second week of camp.”
Whoever it was, HBO made it seem as if it were gospel truth by putting together clips of him breaking free and snagging whatever was thrown in his direction. Unfortunately, the Dolphins coaching staff and General Manager Jeff Ireland must not have seen the footage in time to save him from Friday’s roster cuts.
Maybe Hogan just is not as good as he is portrayed to be. He runs excellent routes, gets out of the breaks with lightning speed, has great vision and consistent hands, but this was not enough to land him a back up spot or a special teams position on a Dolphins team with glaring deficiencies at the wide receiver position.
From the short lived relationship with Chad Johnson to the release of Roberto Wallace (three-year Dolphin) and Clyde Gates (2011 fourth round pick), it is evident the Dolphins need a lot of help at the position. They have worked out veteran receivers Donte Stalworth and Jabbar Gaffney and picked up Anthony Armstrong, who was released by the Washington Redskins earlier this week.
With all of the issues the Dolphins have at the position, it would seem as though this were the perfect situation for Hogan to land a roster spot. The attention he received from his teammates, and the HBO camera, implies he has true talent and could develop into a “Wes Welker-like” receiving threat. Once again, Hogan has only been able to impress enough to secure a position on football’s tantalizing outer edge.
So, what is it about Hogan that is keeping him off of the field on Sundays? Nothing seems to stand out as a glaring weakness in his skill set, and there are no apparent chemistry issues with his teammates or coaching staff. Is he just not good enough? Are the players he is competing against simply better than he is? If so, why does he draw such praise from his teammates? What is it keeping him off of an NFL roster?
Despite asking several Dolphins insiders these questions, no answer seems immediately obvious. No one seems to have one concrete thing they can point at as the reason he is continually left off of rosters. Whatever is keeping him from making the cut, it apparently is not enough to completely dismiss him from the team.
Signing to the practice squad gives Hogan an opportunity to work on his skill set while being a contributing member of an NFL organization. It keeps him on the fringe and he can be signed at any time by any team. After the exposure he received from HBO and his teammates, it likely won’t be long before he is given an opportunity to live up to his nickname. Then we will see if he is truly open 24/7 or if he takes the weekend off.
Jeff Everette is a featured columnist for www.RantSports.com, covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on twitter @jeverettesports, or subscribe to Jeff Everette-www.RantSports.com on both Facebook and Google+ for all of his latest articles, opinions, and rants.
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He played his last year at Monmouth University ya idiot
Ah, you are correct about where Hogan played his last year! He transferred as a 5th year Senior, and played WR/S for the Monmouth Hawks.
As for the idiot part, well, we all have our moments. I mean, just look at your comment.
Thank you and have a nice day
they really need to sign Hogan before the Pats sign him and he ends up torching our weak secondary!
You have a good reason to worry. Seeing Wes Welker twice a year reminds you of what a player like Hogan could become.